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Maharashtra polls: Two alliances, six regions, and many fierce rivalries

Indivjal Dhasmana analyses regional dynamics, voter divides, and economic disparities in the regions crucial in the Assembly polls

Left Sharad Pawar as MLAs wanted to join govt to resume stalled work: Ajit

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday said he had to part ways with NCP founder and uncle Sharad Pawar as all party MLAs wanted to join the Eknath Shinde government to tide over stalled development works. The Nationalist Congress Party split in July last year after Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs joined the Shinde government. Following a decision by the Election Commission, he got the party name and 'clock' symbol, while the faction head by the octogenarian patriarch was named NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) with 'man blowing tutari' as its symbol. Campaigning in Baramati, the Deputy CM said, "You might be thinking that I shouldn't have left Pawar saheb at this age. I didn't leave saheb. I told him it is the opinion of all MLAs that we must join the (Shinde) government as multiple development works we approved (under the Maha Vikas Aghadi dispensation) were put on hold. The MLAs even signed (in support of the government joining proposal)." Seeking support, the NCP chief told ..

Maharashtra Assembly polls: Sharad Pawar's bags checked in Baramati

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar's bags were checked by the poll personnel at Baramati helipad in Maharashtra's Pune district on Sunday morning, according to his associate. Pawar was on way to attend a poll rally in Solapur, the associate said. The model of code of conduct is enforced in the state for the assembly elections scheduled on November 20. "While Pawar saheb was on his way to Karmala poll rally in Solapur, his bags were checked at the Baramati helipad. After the due checking, he boarded the chopper and proceeded for the rally," the associate said. On Saturday, poll authorities checked the bag of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Maharashtra's Amravati district where he arrived for a poll rally. Later, former state minister and Congress' Teosa MLA Yashomati Thakur questioned the action of the poll authorities and asked why they were not checking bags of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah or Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The issue of poll officials check

In Baramati's intense battle between Saheb and Dada, people are the king

Ajit Pawar's development pitch encounters Sharad Pawar's emotional hold over voters as this constituency of glitzy shops and spotless roads turns into a do-or-die battlefield for the younger Pawar amid an intense canvassing never seen before by most voters. And people are not complaining. Dada, as the deputy chief minister is often addressed, carries a certain air and would not even bother spending much time in campaigns as his win was a forgone outcome, Sandeep Jagtap (32), a farmer, said. "He is now smiling, bowing and folding his hands seeking our votes," he adds with a laugh. His friend Amol Kulange notes that the election has also seen an unlikely turnout of the members of the Pawar clan who are mostly backing Yugendra Pawar, the grand nephew of Sharad Pawar and fielded by him as his NCP(SP) candidate to take on the deputy chief minister. Sharad Pawar's wife Pratibha Pawar, not much seen in previous polls, has hit the campaign trail and so have some other members of the family

'Batenge to katenge': How this slogan is shaking up Maharashtra elections

As the BJP struggles to align its campaign narrative in Maharashtra, the slogan 'batenge to katenge' has revealed underlying tensions within the party and its alliances

Maharashtra's evolving political scene: From the Congress era to BJP surge

Maharashtra's journey is a dynamic tale of shifting alliances, the Hindutva surge with the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition, and transformative governance under the Congress-NCP era

How Mumbai Police captured key accused in Baba Siddique murder in 25 days

NCP leader Baba Siddique was shot on October 12. Key accused, Shivkumar, fled from Mumbai with plans to escape into Nepal, before being captured on Nov 10

Supriya Sule accuses BJP of corruption, propagating 'distorted history'

NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule on Monday claimed the ruling BJP and its allies were steeped in corruption and accused them of insulting Maharashtra's icons and propagating "distorted" history. Speaking to reporters here ahead of the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls, Sule said the BJP and its partners have nothing today to talk about the opposition. "In the last elections, issues like corruption were raised by them. Today they are not doing anything because they themselves are completely engulfed in corruption and the BJP and its allies do not have anything to talk against us," the Lok Sabha member from Baramati said. On the Mahayuti's claims that the opposition MVA has copied the ruling alliance's schemes like Ladki Bahin and put them in its manifesto, Sule said it was the Congress and NCP which provided the biggest loan waiver to farmers during their tenure in power. It was the Congress and NCP which had given a price guarantee for the agriculture produce, she ...

Gamble or gambit? BJP-led Mahayuti cobbling up non-Maratha caste coalition

The 2024 Lok Sabha polls saw sharp polarisation of Maratha and OBC votes across Maharashtra, particularly in Marathwada, where the BJP-led alliance could win only one of the eight seats

Husband vs wife, uncle vs nephew: Families battle their own in Maharashtra

Amid parties accusing rivals of promoting dynastic politics, the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls will see brothers, cousins and father-children in the fray, with members of the same family taking on each other in some seats. In one constituency, the battle is between husband and wife, while another seat has an uncle and nephew pitted against each other. In the high stakes battle of Pawars, debutant Yugendra Pawar, the candidate of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), will take on his uncle and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, representing the NCP, in Baramati seat. Ajit Pawar has won the Baramati assembly poll seven times and also once bagged the Baramati parliamentary seat. This is the second time that Baramati, the bastion of Pawars, will see a contest within the family. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the deputy CM's wife Sunetra Pawar was defeated by his cousin and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule in the Baramati parliamentary seat. In the neighbouring Karjat-Jamkhed, Rohit Pawar,

Supriya Sule rules out reconciliation with Ajit Pawar while he's with BJP

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Supriya Sule said she will not be contesting the Maharashtra Assembly elections

Ajit Pawar's NCP manifesto promises Rs 2,100 for Ladki Bahan scheme

The NCP led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday unveiled its manifesto for the state assembly polls, promising to raise the amount of Ladki Bahin scheme's monthly financial assistance to Rs 2,100 from the present Rs 1,500. For farmers, the party promised to raise the Shetkari Sanman Nidhi scheme amount from Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 per year. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is contesting the November 20 assembly elections as part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, which also comprises the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The NCP, which is fighting the elections from 52 constituencies, also unveiled constituency-specific manifestos for all the assembly seats it is contesting. The manifesto was unveiled separately by party president Ajit Pawar in Baramati, by its state unit president Sunil Tatkare in Mumbai, and working president Praful Patel in Gondia. NCP candidates and local leaders also released the poll manifestos in their respective ...

Maharashtra polls: Jarange reverses stance, says no support to any party

Taking a U-turn, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Monday said he will not support any contestant or party in the Maharashtra assembly polls and asked his supporters who had filed nominations to withdraw their candidature. Monday is the last day for withdrawing nominations. The state assembly elections will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23. Jarange's decision not to participate in the electoral process marks a notable shift from his earlier strategy, as he had identified certain constituencies where he intended to support or oppose some candidates. Speaking to reporters at Antarwali Sarathi village here on Monday morning, Jarange said, "After much deliberation, I have decided not to field any candidate in the state. The Maratha community will decide on its own whom to defeat and whom to elect. I have no affiliation to or support for any candidate or political party." The activist asserted he was not under any pressure from the ruling Mahayuti or

Police vehicles used to provide financial aid to ruling parties: Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Saturday alleged that police vehicles are being used to provide financial assistance to the candidates of the ruling parties in Maharashtra ahead of the assembly polls. Addressing reporters at his residence Govindbag here, the former Union minister said he wanted to speak more on the issue publicly but is refraining from doing so as this would hurt the officials who have shared the information with him. Pawar's grandnephews and his party's candidates Yugendra Pawar (Baramati) and Rohit Pawar (Karjat-Jamkhed) were also present at the press conference. The extended Pawar family meets at Govindbag every year, but this year Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and his family were missing. "We have come to know from many districts, from officials that candidates from the ruling parties are getting financial assistance for polls, that police vehicles are being used. Officials of the police department have also said that," Pawar ...

Cong seeks probe over BJP's use of blackmail to bring Ajit Pawar into NDA

The Congress on Saturday called for a probe into alleged "blackmail" and "coercion" used to bring NCP leader Ajit Pawar into the NDA fold and said the BJP's "washing machine" was nowhere more powerful than in Maharashtra. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's recent remarks to claim that the issue involved not just the use of "coercion and blackmail" but also breach of the oath of confidentiality and the Official Secrets Act. "The BJP's washing machine is an all-India phenomenon but perhaps nowhere was it more powerful than in Maharashtra," he said. When in opposition before 2014, the BJP raised allegations about massive corruption by Ajit Pawar, then the state's irrigation and water resources minister, Ramesh pointed out and added that the allegations claimed corruption to the tune of Rs 70,000 crore. Ajit Pawar has now confirmed that blackmail and coercion surrounding these charges were used by the B

Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule greet people on occasion of Diwali Padwa

Amid rising political tensions ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Pawar family divided its Padwa festivities

Govt will reach its roots, strict action assured: Shinde on Siddique murder

Maharashtra CM called the killing of Baba Siddique unfortunate

'Everything will be clear by November 4', says NCP Chief Ajit Pawar

Earlier on Thursday, Mumbai BJP Chief Ashish Shelar said that the NCP Chief Ajit Pawar should not have given a ticket to Nawab Malik

No one can take back welfare schemes: CM Shinde ahead of Maharashtra polls

Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) are contesting the assembly polls under the banner of Mahayuti alliance

Maharashtra polls: MVA to launch campaign on Nov 6, says Sharad Pawar

The opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi will start its campaign for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections on November 6, said NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday. Pawar said the campaign will be spearheaded by him and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. Speaking to a few reporters on his home turf Baramati in the Pune district, Pawar extended them Diwali greetings and said he prayed for the prosperity and well-being of the people of the state. Asked about the friendly fights among MVA partners NCP (SP), Congress and Sena (UBT) in some constituencies, Pawar said there are only 10-12 seats where two candidates from MVA have filed their nomination papers. I am confident we will find a solution in the next couple of days and resolve the issue, he said. The veteran leader said MVA will offer a programme (common minimum programme) to the people of the state to garner their support. Pawar said their poll campaign will be launched in the presen